Toy-railway signaling system



Patented Dec. 8, 1925..

UNITED STATES WILLIAM E. TEORN, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE IVES MANU- PATENT OFFICE.

FACTURING CORPORATION, OFBRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A. CORPORATION '01 CONNECTICUT.

TOY-RAILWAY SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Application filed July 2,

1 To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that WILLIAM E. THORN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy-Railway Signaling Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved 10 electric toy railway signaling system, and

has for an object to provide train actuated means upon the track, adapted as the train passes over the same to operate signaling or other devices, as for instance, a block signal, gate, bell, or other such means.

A further object is to provide such means as a art of a track section, adapted to be assem led as the other sections of the system, and which will require no additional wiring or other connection with'the other trackage than the usual end pins,

A still further object is to provide such means in which the only track insulation r uired will be the usual center or ower rai insulation, thereby greatly simplifying and economizing the manufacture.

' With the above and other objects-in view, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingl drawings, and this embodiment will "be ereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is aperspective view of a track section, according to the present embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, p) taken along the line 2,-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic lan view of a track system, in which trac sections and signaling are incorporated.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding .parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the embodiment of the invention shown therein comprises a track section consisting of parallel wheel bearing rails and 11, clipped by means according to the invention 1924. Serial No. 723,639.

lugs 12 u on spaced transverse sleepers 13,

14, an 16, the sleepers 14 and 15 being sleepers by lugs 20, the rail sections being insulated from the sleepers by fibre seats 21 held about the bases of the rail sections by thelugs. It will be noted that the lugs and fibre seats ofthe sleepers 14: and 15 span the space between the ends of the railsections, so that an insulated air gap is provided between said ends. The rail sections 17 and 18 are electrically connected by an insulation covered wire 22, having its ends soldered or otherwise to said sections. An insulation plate is removably secured between the sleepers 14 and 15 at the under side of the rail 10 and the dead rail section 19, being provided at its outer end with a flanged. clip 24, riveted thereto, and having an extension ortion electrically connected to a bin ing post 26, said clip adapted to be engaged over theouter edge of the base, of the rail 10. At the under side of the plate 23 there is provided a spring metal strip 27 secured at its outer end to a binding post 28, and being suitably secured 23, of fibre or the like,

bent, as at 29, about the end of the plate,

a signal device 31; adapted as the train (7 passes over one of the signal sectlons of the track to be operated to one osition,

and as it passes over the other to e operated to its other position, and in the articular device illustrated. a lamp is provlded which is continuously lighted. v

The signal device illustrated includes a lam 32, a signal arm 33, a pair of solenoi s 34 and 35 coo eratively related with said arm to respectively operate it to its.

supplied to the system by a plus lead 44- to the rail 10 and a minus lead 45 to the central power rail, the latter being connected to the signal device by a lead '46 therefrom to the post 36, while the rail 10 is connected by a lead .47 from the hind- 5 ing post'26 to the post 37; The dead rail 7 section 19 of one of the signal sections is connected by a lead 48 from the binding post 28 to the post 38, and the dead rail section of the other signal section is'con- 0 nected by a lead 49 to the post 39. With this arrangement the lamp on the signal dev1ce, which may be in the form of a sema-' phore signal tower, remains lighted irrespective of the position of the signal arm.

\ In operation, the passage of the train over the space between the end .of thedead'rail section 19 and the live central rail of one of the signal sections causes currentto be introduced from' said live rail to the dead rail section, through spanning of said s ace by the power collecting shoe or wheel of the engine, and the solenoid 34 is therefore energized to move the arm 33 to its raised position; and as the trainpasses over the other signal section, current is similarly introduced into the dead rail section thereof, and thesolenoid 35 is energized to return the arm to its lowered position.

It is obvious that various kinds of signaling or other devices may be operated by the improved device, and that other wiring arrangements may be employed. For inf stance, the signal may be connected to the dead rail section and either of the rails 10 and 11 in a manner to be operated through bridging transvergely across the rails by the metal structure of the train 'as it passes over the dead rail section.

I have illustrated and described a 1 preferred and satisfactory embodiment of theinvention, but it will be obvious that changes may be made therein, within thespirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended claims. A

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A track section for electric toy railway systems, comprising spaced wheel bearing rails, a central power rail including a noncurrent-carrying section insulated from said wheel bearing rails, and adapted to be engaged by the contact device of the train,terminal connections for a signal device, and means electrically connecting said terminal connections to said non-current carrying rail sectlon and one of sald wheel bearing ralls,

whereby the circuit to said terminal con-- nections is completed as the contact device simultaneously contacts with and electrically connects the power rail and said non-current-carrying section.

2. A track section for electric toy railway systems, comprisingspaced wheel bearing completed asv the contact device simultaneously contacts with and electrically connects one of said current-carrying sections and said non-current-carrying section.

3. A track section for electric toy railway systems, comprising spaced wheel bearing rails, a central power rail including two sections aligned withand spaced from each other, and means between the aligned power rail sections and adapted to be electrically connected to a signal device or the like and wherebythe circuit to said device is closed as the contact device' of the train bridges the space between one of said sections and said means. 1

4. In an electric toy railway system, a track including spaced wheel bearln rails and a central rail, said central rail aving an insulation gap and a non-current-carryrail, and means for supplying current to said central rail and said last mentioned wheel bearing rail, said device adapted to be operated as the contact device of the train bridges the gap between said central rail and said non-current-carrying section to electrically connect them and introduce current into the latter.

5. A track section for electric toy railway systems, comprising spaced wheel bearing rails, a central power rail including two current-carrying end sections aligned with and spaced from each other, and a non-currentcarrying section di osed in the space between said end sectlons and ali ed with and spaced at its ends from the 1nner ends of said sections, an electrical connector between said end sections, a plurality of spaced transversely disposed supporting sleepers having clamping lugs for securing said rails,

extending beneath the inner ends of said end sections, whereby said single sleepers respectively secure said inner ends of the end sections and said non-current-carrying section, and insulation seats interposed between said sleepers and said central rail sections whereby the latter are insulated from the Wheel bearing rails and said spaced non-current-carrying section is insulated from said end sections.

Si ned at Bridgeport in the county of Fair 'eld and State of Connecticut this 26th day of June A. 1)., 1924.

WILLIAM E. THORN. 

